Rent The Hidden (1987)

Belting Stuff - The Hidden review by sb

Wonderfully demented 80's sci-fi cop thriller which opens with a ferocious bank robbery followed by an even more ferocious car chase through LA.

The suspect survives despite being shot numerous times and its revealed in hospital that he is carrying a slug like alien parasite which he passes onto the next person to continue the murderous rampage.

Local LA cop Beck (Noiri) has no idea what is causing all this carnage and is less than pleased when he gets partnered by a rookie FBI man Gallagher (Maclaughlin) - especialy when it appears that Gallagher knows far more than he is letting on.

Meanwhile the destruction builds with a stripper becoming the next carrier (Cristian who would go on to become one the leads in Babylon 5).

The action is unrelenting and its shot through with a sly humour with Maclaughin's deadpan FBI man an almost dry run for Agent Cooper in Twin peaks.

Terrible 80's hair and fashion add to the charm as does the pounding rock soundtrack (car chase with Anthrax on the stereo? - check)

an absolute blast throughout - 4/5

Cult Sci-Fi with a Killer Body Count - The Hidden review by griggs

The Hidden feels like GTA had a lovechild with The X-Files—and somehow no one told me it existed. Seriously, how the hell had I not seen this before? Forget that—how had I never even heard of it? We’re talking flamethrowers, stolen Ferraris, body-snatching aliens, and more people getting mowed down than in Death Race 2000. On paper, it’s a standard buddy cop setup, but Kyle MacLachlan’s deadpan weirdo FBI agent elevates it into something far stranger. Fast, chaotic, and gloriously unhinged—this is pure ‘80s cult gold.  

The only thing that could’ve taken it to the next level? John Carpenter behind the camera, laying down a pulsing synth score while the chaos unfolds. The film already feels like it raided his toolkit—creepy alien menace, stoic antihero, apocalyptic vibes—so why not go full Carpenter and seal the deal?

Good Sci-Fi Tale - too much 80s violence, but it was made in 1987! - The Hidden review by The REAL Film Cricket

The Hidden is nearly forty years old. So, the type of film it is, the story and the time it came out 1988, and featuring Kyle McLachlan, you would have though the twenty-six-year-old man I was at that time I would have watched it then. It has to be said I had not heard of this film and I have never watched it before.

Back in those days, I had no girlfriends, was not a heavy drinker or party animal, I would have watched this and loved it! As it as a sixty-four-year-old carer for my wife I watched and maybe the love has ebbed away.

Do not get me wrong, The Hidden, is good fun to watch and has a story, that whilst not original in any way, despite people thinking it was, has probably more good points than poor ones.

Any film featuring Kyle McLachlan will be worth a ‘peek’ anyway, and here the role he has to play the message he has to send to the audience, whilst not subtle or helped by early revelations, is very good. I must admit I know what or who he was about five minutes into his introduction but that did not spoil the story. He is ably supported by Michael Nouri who is convincing as a tough cop who is not entirely horrible and unfeeling, just tough for the role he has to play with his police department. Good and convincing.

To be fair the supporting cast in other roles are good, and the actors who have to play the ‘murderously changed’ folk have a difficult time because they have to play unconvincing a-holes with no seeming reason for a while. Hardly a disguise for someone or something hiding but that is just my personal opinion.

The tale shots on and the weakest point for me is the excessive violence and shooting, probably I would have enjoyed in more in 1987 but not necessarily. It always amazed me that trained police officers would just fire off pistols and shot guns in the mains streets of a normal city endlessly and in this film it is way too much. A few subtler tones and shifts in the exposing the tale and motives would have been more interesting and perhaps challenging for the audience. Possibly the reason for low-budget film being made in the late eighties in this style I suppose. Also alongside the excessive noise and shooting is some hor

Due to excessive violence and problems, the story for me became less nail-biting and more eyebrow raising and as we reached the final action ladened end. Instead of enthralling me or putting me on the edge of my seat I actually found it a bit silly and ridiculous. Oddly, it did not spoil the film for me though and the ending was sad and different – there was one point for me that made think ‘Oh how lucky he was like that’ but again that is film making for you.

I would say The Hidden is very 1980s sci-fi thriller and the excessive violence and gun violence was par for the course. So, of its time it was a good film with some of the competition and the acting. For me, even at that time, it would have been too violent and too coincidental for a lot of the story, but it is certainly worth a watch. If your tastes are different from mine it will be very enjoyable.

I did read a few other opinions that stated the story was not explained but I do not mind that myself. If you were in the position of the people involved in the story, even the senior police officers, you would have no idea what was going or why. If Kyle McLachlan’s character explained it to you, well you would not believe him.

As a footnote, someone taking over a politician and saying ‘I want to be the president’ whilst being evil and fully backed by over enthusiastic cheering supporters is very scary. Imagine that happening in real life.

As a young man of twenty-seven and an old fool of sixty-four and I can that the strip club scene was not in any way sexy and you would have to pay me a lot of money to even look in the doorway now or back then. It was very ‘yuk’ for me.

Overall, I would say if you like Kyle McLauglin, if you like a mysterious science-fiction violent story then watch The Hidden a